Procedure-oriented studies of collective phenomena in multi-agent systems

The research described in this paper concerns alliance formation and norms of behavior in communities of intelligent agents. An alliance is composed of intelligent agents that have made a deliberate decision to join forces to achieve alliance goals. Norms are defined as limitations on agents, such as legal constraints on individual actions. The aim of this research is to arrive at descriptive and prescriptive theories of group behavior that explain these phenomena. This paper describes information structures and procedural methods that allow the development of such a procedural model. These studies will contribute to the understanding of human organizations, including political activity, national and international markets, and other social contexts